Here we go!!

Here we go…

So you know when you plan every last detail, then one small thing tips them all over….So my taxi was booked for 03:00 to get my bus. I’d liaised with the taxi company before hand advising I was travelling with a bike, and they confirmed they’d send a van! I was impressed with my forward thinking. Only problem was the taxi company forgot so at 03:10 Noddy turns up with a wheelbarrow. My predicament was plain for Noddy to see! He then tried to lower the back seats….but didn’t know how to! A quick google later and the seats were down, the boot open and Noddy took us off to the bus station just in the nick of time. The ride up to Dublin was as uneventful as I liked it to be, arriving at Baile Átha Cliath airport at 6:25. I had a good few hours before I could drop Bob off which was an issue as Dublin airport seems to have sold off all its luggage trolleys….probably at the bottom of the River Liffey with Tesco trolleys!

A kind passenger assistance lady kindly saw my plight wheeling my bike box around and disappeared with my passport to get the bike sorted….only to return stating I had no ETSA….which I promptly provided! The bike box limit is 32kg and after much panicking I got it to 32 but it showed 32.6 on the scales….but typical Dub said ‘feck it I’ll not argue about 600 grams! Phew. Then we had the torture of US pre clearance which allows you to clear US border control in Ireland so you land as if a domestic flight. It’s true what they say – those US border folks have zero personality and even less humour! The whole process took just under 2 hours….but aside from binning all my on flight food, it was fairly straight forward! So it was onward to the flight ….and the pretty damn quick need to acclimatise to the American volume and niceties as they lauded (aloud) their Irish heritage and quaintness of the Irish ☘️!

I had the joy of sitting next to a family of Trumpettes …son sporting a Trump golf course hat from Ireland and the mother seeking to persuade me all was well in Trumpland, just y’all wait n see. I declined to comment, against my burning desire to quote another ‘Ump’….Gump …‘stupid is as stupid does…’ I held my tongue!

On arrival in Trumpland (formally known as America…) there was a palpable tension in the air with both sides eying each other with profound suspicion….often declaring their alliances through loud logo’d sweatshirts…’No One Cares….Work Harder’ screamed one. Can’t for the life of me work out which team they’re batting for!
The final leg of this seemingly unending day was to El Paso, a short 11/4 hour flight.

Having gotten the connection flight I arrived in El Paso last night and checked in to my hotel. Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day then hit the highway to Hachita but Tuesday is supposed to be hideously hot with serious winds (head winds of course) so trying to get a lift to the start of the Divide which is after all what I came for, not highways battling 35-40kph headwinds and dust storms! Nah….those days of martyrdom on Bob are over! I’ll not have phone signal till I get to Silver City in a few days time.

Till then….lets do this 😊